Splash-trough.



E. M. WHITE.

SPLASH TROUGH.

APPHCATION FILED MAY 20. 1916.

Patented Oct. 31,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEE! 1 cwumioa V E Y my m m w;

filth knew!) E. M. WHITE.

SPLASH THOUGH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY20.1916.

Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHET 2.

cwui w,

ERNEST M. WHITEQOF I DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

SPLASH-TROUGH.

Specification of Iletters Patent.

Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

I Application filed May 2t), 1916. Serial No. 98,768.

To all HllO/It it may concern.

lie it known that; I. l'luxi-ls'r M. li'nrrn. a citizen of the United States. and residing at Detroit. in the county of ll'ayne and F tate of Michigan. have invented a new and Improved Splash Trough. of which the followin; is a spta'itication.

This invention relates to means For providing for a proper distribution of lubricating oil in the crank cases of internal combus tion engines provided with main and auxiliary oil receptacles. and its object is to cause a portion of the oil splashed up from. the auxiliary receptacles by the lower ends of the connecting rods to be conveyed directly to the main oil receptacle of the engine and thereby prevent an excessive ac-- eumulation o't luln-icating oil at any part of the crank-case beneath the connection rodsv This invention aronsists in an oil trough secured adjacent a side wall of the crank case of an internal combustion engine pro vided with internal rrdnt'orcing bars across the bottom 01 the crank ease, the oil trough being secured in such a manner as to e in the path of a portion oi thelubrieatiugr oil splashed up from auxiliary oil receptacles in the crank case and so positioned that: it will convey the oilto a main oil receptacle over the top of the reinforcing bars within the crank case. said main oil receptacle being formed at one end of the crank case.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the engine. of a well known automobile, one side of the crank case being broken away to show the oil ronveyer or splash trough. Fig. 2 is an interior elevation of the splash trough. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section of a crank case on the line 33 of Fig. .2. Figs. 4 to 9 inclusive are front elevations of various modifications of this improved device.

Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The engine shown in Fig. 1 is of well known construction and is provided with an enlargement l at. the rear end of the upper crank-case Q, and a similar enlargement 3 on the lower crank-case i. the latter enlarge. ment constituting the main. receptacle for lubricating oil. ()i] is carried up from this main receptacle by the iv-Wheel (notshown) and falls into the tunnel 5, from which it flows forwardly through the pipe. ti to the trout end of the crank-case. The oil is splashed up from the auxiliary receptacles t and 10 by the connecting rods 11, 12 and 13. These auxiliary receptacles are usually formed in the removable bottom ll of the lower crank case -l. which bottom is held in position by screws 15 that extend up into tl-ireaded holes in the reinforcing bar 16. The rear tinnsverse portion 17 of this reintori-innbar is back of the rear auxiliary receptacle 1t) and usually causes a greater depth of lubricant in these auxiliary receptacles than is necessary. lit has been found that when the engine is running at even moderate speed. the entire crank case is filled with a heavy mist of oil which lubricates the moving parts. and that this mist is heavier toward the air of the engine, when the engine is mounted on a moving vehicle. For this reason an auxiliary receptacle for the rear connecting rod is seldom necessary. The iiy-wheel dips down into the lubricat inn oil in the main receptacle and also splashes lubricapt up into the lower end of the rear cylinder. An excess of lubricant is usually conveyed tO tllL front auxiliary rcreptacle through the pipe (3 until it reaches the level otthe topot the reinforcing bar 16. When the oil is at this level the amount of lubricant splashed up into the lower ends of the cvlinders is usually so great that the combustion of that portion that is drawn up into the upper ends of the cylinders by the pistons causes an excessive deposit of carbon at. the spark plugs and the elves. As a remedy for this trouble a trough 20 may be secured to one or both sides of the crank case in such a manner that a portion of the lubricant splashed up by one or more of the connecting rods will be caught thereby and. conveyed rearwardly above and beyond the cross piece 17 tot-he main oil-receptacle 3. These troughs may be made in many different ways and connected to the lower crank case in any desired manner, such as by means of rivets. bolts or by electric spot-welding. The trough shown in Fig. 1 has one portion 20 secured to the side. wall of the lower crank case and another portion 21, integral with the first, the trough being: bent from a narrow strip oi sheet metal.

li'eterring to Figs. :2 and 3, the'troug'h is shown to be formed by a substantially triangular piece of sheet metal having an upper edge 2-; bent away from the side wall ill of the t.'l';lllii (ftt$t). 'lhesti'ueture also has a body :23 and a laterally extending foot 26 that'extends between the bottom 14 of the crank case and the reinforcing bar 16. lhe angle between the parts :25 and 26 is preferably such that the ridge 2? will be pressed against the side it sul'liciently hard toprevent the lubricant running down between them.

In Fig. l, the side plate 28 has a fin 29 secured to it in any desired manner and the toot 30 extends between the reinforcing bar 16 and the bottom H, being firmly held. by the bolts 15. The edge 31 of the fin 29 proof the trough projects upwardly, the remainder of the structure being the same as that just described.

In the modification shown in Figs. (3 and 7, the horizontal portions 34 and 35 of the oil conveyors extend beneath the reinforcing bars 16 from the inside, and the troughs 36 and 37 are formed in the inclined portions 38 and 39 'espectively. The upper edge 40 of the part 39 is shown to lie flat against the side 24 of the crank case while merely the upper edge of the part 38 engages this side.

In Fig. 8, the usual screw-threaded holes 41 in the bar 16 receive the bolts 42, having heads 43 to which the oil conveyer 4:4: is secured, and nuts 45 on the lower ends to hold the trough in position.

The conveyor shown in Fi g. 9 consists of a side 4-8, a top plate 49 that extends between the adjacent flanges of the upper and lower crank cases, and a trough 50 formed by bending up the lower edge of the part 48.

While a number of modifications have been shown in the drawings, the invention is not limited. thereto, but embraces all such single troughs as will receive the splashed up 111- bricating oil and convey it beyond the reinects downwardly while in Fig. 5 the edge forcing bar within the crank case to the main oil receptacle.

I claim 1. In an internal combustion engine, a crank-case having one end enlarged to constitute a main lubricating-oil receptacle and also ha ring a bottom formed to hold oil into which the crank-ends of the connecting rods may dip to splash up the oil, a reinforcing bar within the crank-case, and an oil trough secured to a wall of the crank-case so as to receive a portion of the oil splashed up from said bottom and extending back beyond the said reinforcing bar to convey the oil thus received to the main oil receptacle.

2. In a multi-cylinder engine, a crank case formed with a main oil receptacle and hay;-

ing its bottom provided with a. series of auxiliary Oll receptacles, a cross bar extend ng across said crank case between the. main is.

ceptacle and the auxiliary receptacles, a! 1d aninclined trough secured withinthe crank case adjacent one wall thereof'anddischarg ing oil splashedup from said auxiliary receptacles beyond saidbar into said main re-'-' ceptacle.

3. In a multi-cylinder engine, a crank case formed with a main oil receptacle and having a removable bottom providedwith a series of auxiliary oil receptacles, a reinforcing bar within the crank case and secured to the same around the bottom opening therein, the rear portion of said cross-bar extending between the main receptacle and the auxiliary receptacles and an inclined trough secured within the crank case adjacent one wall thereof and extending along a plurality "of said auxiliary receptacles to receive oil splashed up from the plurality of said receptacles and convey it beyond said reinforcing bar to the main oil receptacle.

ERNEST M. WHITE. 

